Port Hardy to name street after Parnham

PORT HARDY—The late Port Hardy Mayor Bev Parnham, who took a leading role in battling for health-care services in the district, will be recognized for those efforts when her name is attached to the street leading to the hospital and new health clinic.

Council voted during its regular meeting last week to approve the naming of a portion of Thunderbird Way south of Granville stereo in Parnham’s honour, following her death last spring died to complications from a bacterial infection.

Following an earlier suggestion to that effect, District of Port Hardy staff prepared a draft bylaw with several potential suggested names for the street. It also canvassed owners of business along the road who would be impacted by a change of address, and received positive responses from all of those who returned the survey.

Council voted unanimously to name the street for Parnham and directed staff to draft a bylaw for presentation at council’s next meeting Jan. 26.

Jeff Long, Director of Corporate and Development Services, noted the draft included a decision by council on the actual name of the street. Coun. Jessie Hemphill suggested an email survey of council members on the name, with the consensus decision forwarded to staff to include in the final proposed bylaw.

Council heard from a delegation led by Russ Hellberg, requesting in-kind assistance and attendance from Council at the start of the second annual Wounded Warrior BC Run, which begins in Port Hardy Feb. 15.

A welcome event will be hosted by the local Canadian Legion and 101 Squadron the evening of Feb. 14. The run, which covers 600 kilometres to its terminus in Victoria in support of veterans and current members of the Canadian Forces suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other service-related ailments, begins at 6 a.m. the following morning at Carrot Park.

Helberg, who appeared with Don Ford and 101 Squadron representative Lou Lepine, requested the appointment of a councillor to the local organization committee, and Coun. Rick Marcotte agreed to fill the role.

Hellberg also asked for a link to the event on the District’s website and a notice in its calendar of activities.

Community Forest

Council approved the appointment of Dave Nelson to a two-year term on the board of the North Island Community Forest, which is jointly owned by the District, the Town of Port McNeill and the Village of Port Alice.

“They recently gave us a $100,000 cheque, so we like them,” Mayor Hank Bood quipped of the Community Forest Board.

Nelson has served for the past year and was seeking an extension of his term. He was previously approved by Port McNeill’s council.

Committee appointments

Council approved its committee appointments for the coming term, with Hemphill calling attention to the creation of a new First Nations Relationship Building Committee and approving of its addition.

“I think it’s not only a promising step, it’s a necessary step; it’s an important step,” said Bood. “I think it’s obvious to everybody that the native villages that border our town do border our town. The only thing that separates us is an imaginary line between the regional district and the District of Port Hardy. So we obviously have a lot of things we need to do together.”